President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he gets a briefing on border wall prototypes, March 13, 2018, in San Diego.
Evan Vucci/AP Photo

The Department of Defense shifted $1 billion to plan and build a 57-mile section of "pedestrian fencing," roads, and lighting along the border between the US and Mexico.

The Pentagon previously gave Congress a list that included $12.8 billion of construction projects for which it said funds could be redirected for construction along the US-Mexico border.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month in a bid to fund his promised border wall without congressional approval.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Department of Defense shifted $1 billion to plan and build a 57-mile section of "pedestrian fencing," roads, and lighting along the border between the United States and Mexico, the Pentagon chief said on Monday.

Last week, the Pentagon gave Congress a list that included $12.8 billion of construction projects for which it said funds could be redirected for construction along the US-Mexico border.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month in a bid to fund his promised border wall without congressional approval.

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said in a memo to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen that the Department of Defense had the authority to support counter-narcotics activities near international boundaries.

Shanahan authorized the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing the project that would involve building 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso sections of the US-Mexico border.

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